Using Social Proof To Build Your Online Business

I am pretty sure you are aware of niche marketing and how powerful it can be. You have probably tried it and had little success. Why do you believe this is? Think about for a second what it would take for you to purchase a particular product or use a service online. Would you just pick any website to go through? It is not that you do not want to buy the product or service; you just might not want to buy it from a certain site.

The reason why people don’t buy

The reason why you might not want to buy it from a certain website is because that website lacks the one thing that would make you feel secure about getting it from there. The one thing I am talking about, and the one thing your website must have if you hope to build it into a successful business is social proof. What exactly is social proof you might ask? Social proof is a way for people to see that you have demonstrated value.

Social proof and past demonstration of value

You get social proof because the value that you demonstrated in the past was good and it provided real solutions to a problem, most likely the problem someone will be having when they come to your site. The ability to have social proof is very important if you hope to make money online.

Social proof will eliminate the risk others feel they are taking if they are going to part with their money. In some cases social proof is needed just to get someone is going to join your lists.

People are not fooled by sales letters

You see there are some people who will not be convinced of how good your products and services are, no matter how good your sales material is. These people need to see that someone else has already taken the risk that they are not willing to at the moment. Social proof is the best way to do this, because by having it people can see what others are saying about you and then determine if you are somebody they want to deal with.

A demonstration of how powerful social proof is

In order to demonstrate how powerful social proof is in helping people determine who they deal with and who they won’t concerning buying stuff online, think of the new kid in class when you were a kid. Nobody knows the new kid, he or she might actually be a pretty cool person. This new kid has not demonstrated value yet, and as a result they have no social proof.

Now if a popular kid in class decides to take a chance on the kid and befriends them, then other kids will notice the affiliation and this will make them feel more comfortable dealing with the new kid. Seeing as how someone they trust is cosigning the new kid, they figure he or she must be okay to deal with.

It is going to be the popular kid who will report back to all the other kids what they think about the new kid. If they have a good message, then they will be in like Flynn. If they have a bad message then people will avoid them like the plague.

The internet works the same way

When it comes to Internet marketing, social proof works the same way. Social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook have given everyone a platform for people to put themselves out there. Even outside of these platforms if you are going to be selling products and services people need to be able to interact with you and see what others have said about you as well.

What people say and don’t say is powerful

What others say or more important don’t say, will help them determine if whatever claims you are making are true and should they trust you or not. Social proof is something to be coveted on the Internet, especially if you plan on building a long term business. A long term business requires a person to guard their social proof like a hawk guards its young.

Consequences of losing social proof

If you do not take care of your social proof and work on a consistent basis to increase it, then it will not be long before you are struggling to make sales online. You do not have to struggle to make sales. You can have other people making sales for you when they tell others how good your products and services are.

You can have other people help you when they tell other people how helpful you were, how good your customer service is, and how easy you make it for them to get in contact with you. All of this will build your social proof and as a result will boost your income.

Please leave a comment on how valuable it is to have social proof in order to have a successful Internet business, along with comments about your experiences with it and without it.

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